>lenses if you seriously expect to get the most out of a Meade ED refractor. And BTW, this scope showed horrendous star images upon delivery, having had its lenses knocked out of position thanks to UPS. I spent the first few weeks feeling quite frustrated and disappointed with the scope. But it turned out like a wild young puppy which just needed to be trained. >>Jeff Quinn >jeff.g.quinn@worldnet.att.net

every time you read a review about one of the meade semi-apos you always hear about how they had to change this or that, these scopes should not even be thought of in the same catagory as taks or televue and astro-physics. they are decent performers but the advertising by meade would make you think that you are purchasing a true apo, and that is simply not true. all the meade ed semi-apos are over priced and truly a testament to consistant inconsistant quality control. spend your money on a tak, televue, tmb, or astro-physics. you will be very happy you did.

Subject: Moved Message
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.125.40)
Date: 01/15/2003 02:53:26 pm PDT
meade should be ashamed of advertising these scopes as apochromatic. i have never seen a scope in the ED line up that even approaches apo quality. meade should send their optical people back to school because apo means color free and color is all you get with these scopes.

Subject: Re: vote by xxx.xxx.67.194
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.87.167)
In Reply to: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.125.44) (Original Message)
Date: 01/24/2003 09:20:48 pm PDT
>[snipped by webmaster]>>>lenses if you seriously expect to get the most out of a Meade ED refractor. And BTW, this scope showed horrendous star images upon delivery, having had its lenses knocked out of position thanks to UPS. I spent the first few weeks feeling quite frustrated and disappointed with the scope. But it turned out like a wild young puppy which just needed to be trained. >>>>Jeff Quinn >>jeff.g.quinn@worldnet.att.net>>every time you read a review about one of the meade semi-apos you always hear about how they had to change this or that, these scopes should not even be thought of in the same catagory as taks or televue and astro-physics. they are decent performers but the advertising by meade would make you think that you are purchasing a true apo, and that is simply not true. all the meade ed semi-apos are over priced and truly a testament to consistant inconsistant quality control. spend your money on a tak, televue, tmb, or astro-physics. you will be very happy you did.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few people who can afford the complete meade ED setup in either the 5 or 6 inch and not very many at all who can afford a top of the line complete setup in a tak, televue, etc. And, just perhaps, if it weren't for moderate price competitors like Meade or Celestron, these other companies would hike their prices overnight.

Subject: meade refract.
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.255.29)
Date: 03/05/2003 10:04:01 am PDT
i enjoy all of your commits!!i have retuned to obs with telesopes.after a 12year leave of absence.i should have never sold the 4"unitron.i am shock by the scopes out in limbo land.deltabeta1@netzero.com phx az

> I also own this scope, and I have observed Saturn various times pre and post opposition. I do not fully agree with the statement given above. Using high-end 7mm and 5mm orthoscopics (yielding about 200x and 270x, respectively), the ring sytem can be easily separated into crep-ring, surrounding cassini division and Encke-minimum (not-division). At very good seeing (around 9/10) it´s possible to detect spokes within the A and B ring. More than five equatorial and subequatorial belts as well as six moons are also visible under those conditions.Moreover, the scope easily splits doubles down to 0.74", i.e. 14 Ori and gamma CrB (at more than 250x).Finally, limiting magnitude is 14.1 and 15.3 at direct and adverted vision, respectively, as determined by the photmetric cart of the "surrounders of M57" by Brian Skiff, Lowell Observatory.In conclusion, great scope that may compete with 6-inch high-end apochromats, such as FS-152 and TMB152.

Subject: Re: Moved Message
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.90.2)
In Reply to: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.125.40) (Original Message)
Date: 01/27/2006 07:25:56 am PDT
>meade should be ashamed of advertising these scopes as apochromatic. i have never seen a scope in the ED line up that even approaches apo quality. meade should send their optical people back to school because apo means color free and color is all you get with these scopes.

I do not agree with this common statement. I have extensively observed with the Meade´s 102ED, 127ED and 152ED. Only at Vega and Venus, there is a slight purple fringe only at more than 250x. Other bright objects including the limb of the moon, Jupiter and bright stars of spectral type colder than F0 are absolutely colour free at any magnification.May be, you have observed with "lemmons" without proper collimation and/or lens adjustment. Our Meade EDs all display Strehl ratio better than 0.97 and ptv around 1/8 lambda, values you will frequently determine when the optics of Meade EDs are tested by laser interferometry at 532nm.